driftfleet | ship mingle: february is for starstruckers.

[ when she settles in his lap, it's done indelicately. balancing on his thighs, her heels pressed into the bedroll beneath. she keeps herself from tilting backward by both engaging her core and locking her fingers behind his neck. ]

Does it matter? [ where and when. but the words aren't harsh; instead, they're almost gentle. she leans in and hugs herself against his chest for a moment. ] There are so many things I'd rather be doing than swapping war stories.

[ and maybe that is answer enough: the war. after all, there had been action still between the day he went missing and ve day. ]

It might later.

[ when they're not entirely wrapped in one another, he might ask her again. There are still so many things he's discovering about her and each one catches his open interest.

But not for too long, at the moment, not when they're pressed together like this. He could ask her like what but steve decides to press an open-mouthed kiss against her neck and another against the now bare skin of her shoulder. ]

[ it seems to be an open secret between the pair that she rather covets those wandering kisses -- and on her neck, especially, where he's likely to come across a spot or two that steals her breath away. she betrays a pleasant shiver down her spine. ]

Later -- [ she echoes him from both just now and from his earlier dismissal of his sketchbooks. and the inviting, smoky tone to her voice suggests the echo isn't a coincidence. peggy mouths the shell of his ear -- the best she can reach when she cranes her neck. risking a loss of balance, she caresses one hand down from his nape to the muscle of his upper arm. there, she grips him like a vice. the tight hold telegraphs something of the desire built up inside her. not only over today, but over weeks. months. defusing it had been simpler before they shared her bed; since that development, she hasn't had much time alone and private except for during showers.

and, well, she's far too practical a woman to waste hot water. ]

[ he's almost methodical in the way he goes about this. With an abundance of time at his hands, he makes certain to map and explore and memorize what makes her breath catch. It's a shift between slow open-mouthed kisses and a sudden nip when his control slips due to warm breath on his ear.

He moves both of his hands to the back of her thighs, holding her against him. When his lips inch down they taste metal. He noses her necklace aside, tilts his head to kiss the side of her breast. ]

I should have gotten you earrings.

There's still time.

[ -- she finds it within her to play and joke, though her words are more breath than voice. peggy bends her knees and lifts her body and (after a moment) it would be more accurate to say she's straddling his lap than sitting in it. kneeling. so that, as when she had her legs wrapped around him in the lake, she's got a manufactured height on him. and so her next breath rises her chest against his kiss.

peggy tilts her chin and smells lake water and sunlight on his hair. ] Get them later. Or don't. Frankly, it's hard to care just now.

[ all she wants is him. ]

They wouldn't have been in the way.

[ his smile is pressed against the side of her breast. She's so different, just now, breathless and pliant in his arms and steve is almost entirely overwhelmed with want that he all but forgets himself. Instinct guides his hand up her back to twist and unhook and peel the bra off her and bold curiosity coaxes him to trail his fingertips over the expanse of soft skin and after a moment, drop his hand back to her thigh and kiss her, just there between her breasts. ]

[ peggy laughs. in part because of how she'd misunderstood the statement -- and the rest because, in her heart of hearts, she's well-convinced he can navigate his way around a pretty pendant. he certainly seems not to be having any trouble now.

in fact: ] Good God, you removed that with a bit more expertise than I might have anticipated.

[ but the bra is gone -- it had been on for less than a handful of minutes, and now she sits bare before him. peggy rises by an almost-inch and hugs him into his kiss. the aforementioned pendant thuds gently against his forehead. ]

Your faith is touching.

[ it's dry and loving, lips curled into a smile. Weeks spent watching the many women on the USO tour checking on those clasps as they went had left their mark. One can't claim he learned nothing.

He makes an impatient noise at the back of his throat and reaches to turn the necklace backwards, letting the stone rest on her back rather than in her chest. ]

[ look, she doesn't want to spoil the mood but: ] I can't speak from experience but a smooth move like that would probably give even Howard a run for his money.

[ to make up for it, she slides her hand up the front of his torso and catches his chin with the edge of a finger. gently (reluctantly!) she lifts his mouth from the valley between her breasts and captures it in a kiss instead. as kisses go, this one is considerably more aggressive. peggy probes past his lips and knits her fingers firmly in his hair. her own impatient desire is catching up with her. ]

Are you talking about Howard Stark -

[ he was probably going to say something, an outraged rule that no Stark should be brought up in this sort of situation ever again but her lips find his and the kiss becomes urgent and rushed, knocking both his breath and his complaints away. Steve clutches her closer, feels her fingernails against his scalp and the resulting groan is lost somewhere in their kiss.

And to think, a moment ago he marveled at her patience and softness. ]

[ patience is only so good for so long before it begins to fray at its edges. it unravels. and peggy, swept up by impatience instead, pauses only long enough to listen to the sound that betrays his enjoyment. the groan is not the only sign, however, and she doesn't shy away from pulling herself tighter against his hips.

wind rustles the tent's canvas, but she can barely hear it above the rush of blood in her ears. she holds him tight -- locking him into their kiss a moment longer -- before nudging her hand against his chest. ] Lie back.

[ it's not a question. ]

[ there's a decisive shift that manages to catch him by surprise - he thought he had this figured out and under control but that illusion quickly fades away, making his breath hitch and catch and he pushes into her the very moment she pulls herself closer. before he can make sense of this tangle, the weight of her against him he feels her shifting again and steve rogers may be known as one who questions every order that's given to him but he obeys her at once, leaning back and taking her with him, his hands firm on her hips. he looks up at her, arching an eyebrow. ]

Better?

[ as moments go, this one is delightful. she feels his shoulders hit the spread bedroll -- and (all the better) he takes her with him. peggy's hair hangs like a curtain, shifted over one shoulder, when she leans down to steal another kiss.

she presses down -- making her back slope. it's inevitable: gravity drags the necklace forward and it swings, ponderous, from the curve of her neck once more. the realization that it's smacking gently against his chin makes her laugh into their kiss. with a last bit of suction, she pulls back and shifts her attention to the hollow of his throat instead. ]

It's an improvement.

[ when he does as she says, he spends the first few seconds of lying down in a form of awed silence, gazing up her as if he's committing her to memory before their lips meet again. ]

Always in the way -

[ the little grumble is aimed at that necklace which now rests against his collarbone. Steve slides one hand through her hair and one down and along her spine. ]

You've got no one to blame but yourself.

[ something just below her stomach seems to flip-flop in response to the trailing fingers against her back. the touch drags a happy (albeit strained) groan from the back of her throat. it pitches high -- almost a whimper. and more so than by the semi-nudity, she's struck by how vulnerable the moment makes her. he's peeling away whole layers of her armour -- despite him being the one on his back.

she nips at the edge of his shoulder. ]

You're right -

[ but he doesn't attempt to reach for the clasp and take it off, he's too partial to the sight of her wearing little but. He arches up towards her, following her groan, seeking a way to coax it of her again. He doesn't seem to be able to stop touching her, slowly learning the angles and edges of her body, making himself familiar with it, moving open palms up her sides, nudging one between them to cover her breast. ]

I like the look of it too much.

[ it's a happy confession, all too willing, spurred by her touch and the way they're pressed together. ]

[ the heat of his hand leeches into her skin -- a warm, affectionate palm on her breast. as minor a touch as it seems, it prompts a whole cascading sigh past her lips. again, she buries it against the curve of his arm. her chin lowers. her eyes shut.

and a pleasant shiver works its way from the top of her spine down to her tail-bone -- a writhing shudder, by then. like a wave gaining momentum. ]

I get the impression -- [ her words hitch; they muddy with desire ] -- you're not talking about how the stone catches the sun.

Not a lot of sun in here.

[ it's a smart-ass remark but in reality, it's half distracted and half nervous. there was more than one uso girl who winked and made a suggestive comment, a waitress that slipped him a number with a bill but those remained unexplored concept and peggy's different, always have been and in that moment, his hands are steady but his pulse is anything but. ]

So no, not about that.

[ she doesn't laugh. she does, however, smile against his skin. peggy fancies she can sense the breadth of his nervousness in the way his muscles twitch. she wraps her fingers around one wrist and feels his pulse racing beneath the pads. by contrast, she feels remarkably calm -- but as if she ought to feel nervous, too. ]

What, then? [ she baits and goads and smiles some more. ] What are you talking about?

[ it's funny, the way instincts work. he feels the curve of her lips and he smiles in return, closing his eyes for a moment at her touch. he lets his mind go blank for a moment, neglecting his answer in favor of looking at her. ]

Can't put my finger on it.

[ but he does reach down, hooks his fingers beneath the chin and tugs upwards, urging her with a light pull until he can kiss her. ]

It has its uses.

[ nervous or not, he's not beyond being cheeky. ]

You could.

[ but her 'joke' is interrupted by his kiss. peggy's breath redirects -- sharpish -- through her nostrils and she edges forward. she presses closer: bare skin to bare skin, and her thighs anchoring her against his waist. there's strength in every bit of her, but it's being bent to a different purpose today. ]

Should you be so inclined.

[ put your finger on it -- peggy pauses for a beat, waiting to see how the implication lands. ]

[ steve heard his fair share of bragging from other men about their affairs with women. He always found those sorts of conversations inappropriate, speaking about a lady as if she's an item to be rated. Now, he realizes there was nothing to learn from those talks, either. This isn't about making out behind the soda shop. Peggy presses against him until there's no room between them and steve finds himself feeling shaken by how she fits against him, igniting thousands of nerve endings in her wake.

It's not just a physical sort of want, they have so much between them but some of it isn't present here, grief and longing and sadness pushed aside leaving only comfort and a deep sense of love and want. They're claiming an entire different dance now. He reaches for her hands, lets the tips of their fingers touch. He can settle back for hours of slow, exploratory touches but he doubts that's what the moment requires. There is only one thing more useful than slow learning. ]

Show me.

[ there are endless ways he wants to touch her but for now, he needs to stick to just one. ]

[ nor is peggy immune to the quiet -- almost reverent -- tension building between them. usually so solid and immovable, she finds a trembling inside of her. slight, brief, and almost impossible to pin. something so small and sweet as the way their fingertips touch sends sparks through her system. it lights her up; it puts a gleam in her eyes. ]

Gladly. [ she says one word but the tremor in her voice suggests she might have meant to say eagerly instead.

curling her fingers around his palm, she resolves to 'show' him a brace of gestures; movements; motions. first, she guides steve's hand back to the bottom-most curve of her breast -- this time, she cants his touch against her flesh so that the tips of his fingers fall against peaked and puckered skin: darker and pinker, and (now) stiffening. before she lets him go, she squeezes his hand with hers -- imparting, perhaps, the suggestion that he needn't hold her like something fragile. pressure is welcomed, here.

and welcomed elsewhere, too. because as fresh and new as these experiences are, she's always got harboured in the back of her mind the notion that he should be challenged at every turn. he's no slouch; he doesn't need her to only give him the most watered-down version of what's good, what's wanted, what's enjoyed. so peggy feels her mouth go dry when she reaches for his other hand and -- sitting up on her knees -- she guides him past her stomach and past her navel. with a telling hitch in her own breath, she slides the length of his fingers against the good and dark blue silk of her drawers.

peggy doesn't ask anything of him. instead, she tilts her chin against his shoulder -- pressing forward against his hands -- and gives him a moment to catch his breath. to acclimatize. ]

[ some things are instinctive, others are meant to be taught. It doesn't take away from the moment, on the contrary. Being shown, her confidence as she leads his hands to where she wants them, it all adds up to a whole new moment, raw and overwhelming. It's a fierce reminder that she trusts him and it tugs at him, makes him sigh her name as she sits up.

One thing seems to hold true, once he has her guidance he becomes a very keen learner. He feels her response, warm skin reacting to an initial touch and at once, he moves, dragging a thumb over her nipple once, twice, before drawing a decisive circle just there.

A moment later and he lets his fingers move over thin silk, a small dip and the same circling movement, pressing the fabric against her. It's not tentative anymore as much as it's passionate and curious. ]

[ beyond desire and beyond sex, she's bestowed upon him a boon of sorts. she's given him the keys to the kingdom and puts her faith in his eagerness to loiter over every lock. this time when her breath catches, it's with a hard and plosive sound -- air forced past her lips, curling into a pleasant snarl she's quick to bury with her teeth on his shoulder.

goosebumps spread across her shoulders and down her flanks. and her hips move, pressing herself against his fingertips. this is new territory for them, together, and there's a lot of ground to cover. just now, peggy realizes she'd be dead happy to go an inch at a time.

yes, she all-but-whispers. praising his initiative even as she grips her fingers tight against the outer curve of his thighs -- stabilizing herself while she still can. ]

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