driftfleet | ship mingle: february is for starstruckers.

[ as moments go, this one feels decadent. these aren't kisses stolen between duties or gaps in schedules -- like back at the hotel, they're allowed to take their time with each. and perhaps this camping trip had come about because peggy had found herself chasing that same freedom. but this time, under their terms.

his impatience is well-received. peggy leans nearer, nudging into his personal space and hooking the heel of her boot behind his knee. ]

None? [ she asks with more breath than voice. ] Shame, that.

There was something.

[ his thoughts are scattered, however, ricocheting in what feels like countless directions. it's all terribly distracting; she inches a little closer and steve can count her heartbeats, steady if a little quickened. in that fraction of a moment, he's thankful for each one, every proof of how vivid and solid and alive she is. taking her head in his, his lips find her wrist, just above a pulse point. ]

Give me a minute, [ or fifteen of them ] it'll come back.

[ -- something so ridiculous as a kiss on her wrist should have made peggy roll her eyes. but instead, she shuts them. steve is attentive and his strike is nigh-surgical. and despite the sultry breeze, she shivers.

he'd kindled a fresh curiousity in her, however. ] Perhaps I can help jog your memory -- remove the distraction until you can remember.

[ and peggy oh-so-gently extracts her hand from his hold, pretending as though she was about to stand up and walk over to the tent instead. ]

[ it's amazing how easy it is, how much of an instinct it has become. She moves and swiftly, he does too. When he loops his arms around her, it's to keep her where she is but he tugs her a little closer until she's pulled flush against him. ]

Have you heard of the Dasioe?

[ it's a casual line of conversation to pursue, given the circumstances. ]

[ well. peggy realizes she should have anticipated his rebellion. steve gets his arms around her waist and pulls her near -- and although she grimaces, she also leans into his embrace. she nudges her way to his throat and tastes the side of his neck with a kiss. ]

The aliens who live underwater? [ a hum. she speaks against his skin. ] Only what the Co'kal have said. Trading partners, they moved here from elsewhere...

[ peggy trails off. she doesn't know what the aquatic species have to do with february 14th, but she's willing to entertain his train of thought. ]

Their cities are a bit run-down. They need all the help they can get. Construction on their housing and the roads -

[ he trails off for a moment, a bit distracted with her breath sliding along his skin. ]

I volunteered to help them a few days ago. Figured they needed another pair of hands and while I really didn't need the credits,

[ he shifts a little, just enough so he could reach into his jacket and then for her palm, placing a work of silver, gold and sea glass in its center. ]

Their very good at their craft.

[ his gift steals her breath away. peggy touches the charm at the end of the chain -- turning it slowly on her palm. she inches backwards, but only to provide enough space between them so she can look him properly in his eyes. ]

Steve. [ one syllable crammed with a lot of feeling. her brows twitch into a furrow -- but, after a moment, she smiles. jewellery is quite a milestone, isn't it? ] It's beautiful. Here, [ she turns away from him and pushes her curls off the back of her neck. ] Give us a hand?

They're very good with these things. Took a while to find the right one.

[ the one that felt right, that is. Elegant and classic as the one it was meant for. He smiles as she turns, shifts so he can fasten it behind her neck. ]

Here we go.

[ -- it is lovely. a little out-of-step with her trademark style, but not in a way that disappoints. the difference is welcome. and in a fleet where even things like accessories are hard to come by, she's tickled pink by the addition. peggy cards her fingers through her hair, rearranging it, before touching the pendant's stone where it settles against clavicle.

she turns back to face him. ] Now I feel a little out-gifted, darling.

No need.

[ he leans back, looks up at her, at the way the stone glistens in the sun. It was a good plan, if to judge by her smile. He reaches out, touches his fingers to her cheek. ]

This is a really good one.

[ this day, quiet and intimate as it is. ]

[ -- and she hopes it'll only get better. peggy turns her head so she can press her lips against the inside curve of his palm. it's a reaction that's become almost predictable in moments like these. she's rarely content to simply sit and be the object of his affection; often, she wants to match it or meet it or (on occasion) exceed it.

It's not done yet. [ a puff of her cheeks. ] How do you feel about a dip in the lake?

Not nearly done.

[ something he's very grateful for. Between their duties, each moment alone is appreciated to the last. He mirrors her earlier gesture, offering her his hand. It's warm and soft and comfortable -- if he ever needed help getting to his feet. ]

[ she pops to her feet. peggy grabs him by the wrist curls her fingers firmly into a grip. and she drags him with her, tugging hard. he's a largish creature, after all, and no delicate yank will do. ]

Down to your skivvies, soldier.

Yes, ma'am.

[ it's breathless and a little lost in laughter spiked by her determined grasp on his wrist. ]

Think it's very deep?

[ asked as he shrugs out of his jacket and pulling his t-shirt over his head. ]

Haven't the foggiest.

[ it might be shallow the whole way -- although she doubts so, if the deepened blue of the water after the shore's stretch is anything to judge by. peggy tosses aside her leather coat (jim gave it to her not last christmas but the christmas before; she treasures it) and starts in on the buttons of a simple cotton shirt. the fabric is stiff and less well-made than her usual stuff, but it was a tactical choice. not a fashionable one.

the same can be said for the plain camisole beneath -- and the straps of an athletic bra on her shoulders. both are standard issue from the fleet's lockers and both are about par for the course with what she wears to bed back on the starstruck. ]

Why? Are you afraid of getting in over your head? [ she teases before tossing her jacket and shirt in a heap by the tent's closest corner. ]

That already happened a long while ago.

[ though perhaps it has gotten worse, now. The lights aboard the starstruck are nothing compared to natural sunlight and if he looks at her for a moment, it's mostly because of that. ]

Found it kinda pleasing.

[ being over his head, that is. ]

[ like the cat with the canary, she hooks her finger along the new necklace's chain and adjusts it to it sits flush on her skin. but then she catches his gaze and -- really? peggy was about to crouch down and unlace her boots, but now she stands with her back to the shore and her hands on her hips.

but she's more amused than anything else. ]

Not what I meant. [ although this does provide her ample opportunity to get a good look at him under these same sunny circumstances. ]

Isn't it?

[ if he doesn't look away from her, it's the result of many nights spent together in bed. Instead, he holds her gaze when her hands move to her hips ( steve lovingly dubs this as her power pose ) and smiles. ]

Could have sworn.

[ she tears her eyes off him and loosens her laces. kicks off her boots. and from thereon in, it's merely a case of shimmying her way out of a pair of standard-issue dull and boring trousers. great for hiking; not great for much else. the grey cotton underwear beneath matches both the camisole and the athletic bra -- and as swimming costumes go, they would have to suffice. ]

Last one in has to build the fire -- [ she challenges, choosing to ignore his sarcasm. peggy turns her back on steve and starts to run for the water's edge. ]

That's one hell of a running start -

[ but he's mostly amused. Apparently, there comes a time when the staring doesn't work in his favor. He shakes his head as she goes, accepts the defeat as he removes his boots and socks, stepping out of his jeans and walking into the water in the simple black boxer shorts the fleet takes care to provide. ]

I'll build you a thousand fires but it's still not fair.

[ she doesn't turn around until the water hits her knees. funny, she hasn't felt quite like this since her school days: free, and fun, and careless. and her school days, coincidentally, house the last time she stripped down and went swimming with such bright-spirited intention. ]

Of course it's fair. You'd win at an even sprint -- I need the element of surprise on my side.

The element of surprise, huh.

[ he nods and for a moment there is just this - a quiet acceptance of a lost match.

But then the moment passes and casually as that he ducks, arms moving beneath her knees to scoop her up as he walks into the deeper water. ]

You're sure about that?

[ the deeper they go, the clearer his intentions become. ]

[ she fails to intercept him. she fails to sidestep. he grabs hold of her -- and all at once she feels the pebbled bottom of the lake stolen out from under her feet. peggy offers up conflicted signals by both grabbing onto him with one hand and thudding a loose fist against his chest with the other.

he wades her deeper and she jack-knifes against him in a concerted effort to free herself from the inevitable. with a spirited snarl: ] Put me down, Rogers. I don't think you really want to do this -- [ like talking a man off a ledge. or a boyfriend back from dunking you in a lake. ]

I actually think I really have to. What was that about the element of surprise?

[ it's all about a fair match, after all. Which is why his counter move is swift and efficient, a moment of gaining leverage that ends with him throwing her in, his bark of laughter echoing around them. ]

[ there is a ~~hilarious~~horrifying moment when she's touching nothing -- not him, not ground, not water. and for a heartbeat it feels like she hovers there in the air (almost as though she's having fun and the augment's glitch betrays it) but she soon after crashes into the water with a splash and a splutter.

she twists under the surface. her toes find purchase in the sandy-stony lake floor and she pushes upwards, bursting out of the water with a shimmy of her shoulders. she's soaked: already, the curls are coming out of her hair.

peggy paws at her eyes. somewhere under all that dripping water, she's smiling. ] You're going to regret that. [ her mascara runs. and although the water slows her down, she charges back at him -- keen to grab him and drag him underneath with her. ]

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